Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - (Page 14) REVIEWS I PALO ALTO Prebook 1/20; Street 2/17 Image, Comedy, $27.98 DVD, ‘R’ for pervasive language, sexual content, nudity, drug and alcohol use — all involving teens. Stars Aaron Ashmore, Johnny Lewis, Justin Mentell, Autumn Reeser, Ben Savage, Tom Arnold. en Savage (younger brother of Fred Savage of “The Wonder Years”), rose to fame from 1993 to 2000 playing teen Cory Matthews in 158 episodes of “Boy Meets World,” still in syndication on the Disney Channel. While at times corny, “Boy” showcased Savage genuinely evolving in character and real life. As Patrick, a goal-oriented college freshman palling around with former Palo Alto, Calif., high-school buddies on the last night of Thanksgiving break, Savage appears stuck in a bad outtake. After breaking into the auto shop class for kicks, Patrick and his buddies split up in search of parties, co-eds and little else. Cliché scenes of Patrick (after being dumped by his girlfriend) and his B precocious brother (Connor Ross) getting drunk and hooking up with buxom pair Jessica (Hailey Bright) and Ashley (Christina DeRosa), are as “Savage” as it gets. Other storylines fall flat. Director Brad Leong can be partially excused since he reportedly was just 20 years old when making Palo Alto. What Leong lacks in a cogent story, he does overcome with a superb soundtrack and good camerawork. Take girl-shy Nolan (Johnny Lewis) who runs into Morgan (Tom Arnold), an offbeat middleaged school-bus driver who trolls around in the middle of the night dispensing staccato relationship advice to wayward teens. When Nolan and quirky Jaime (Autumn Reeser) bond while toilet-papering a house, a poignant coming-of-age film appears briefly. Maybe if Morgan had crashed the parties pretending to be a sophomoric teen, Palo Alto might have approached the zany highs (or lows) achieved in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, Superbad and Pineapple Express. – Erik Gruenwedel I SEX DRIVE Prebook 1/20; Street 2/24 Summit, Comedy, B.O. $8.4 million, $26.99 DVD, $34.99 Blu-ray, ‘R’ for crude and sexual content, nudity, language, some drug and alcohol use — all involving teens. Unrated version also available. Stars Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke, Seth Green, James Marsden, Katrina Bowden. T his latest entry in the pantheon of teenage sex comedies is based on the young-adult novel All the Way by Andy Behrens. The concept is not entirely original, but the end result is pretty funny. Sex Drive displays shades of American Pie, Road Trip, Eurotrip and Kingpin, neatly blended into a delicious smoothie of vulgarity. The story involves 18-year-old virgin Ian (Josh Zuckerman), who is told by chat-room lover Ms. Tasty (Katrina Bowden of “30 Rock”) that if he drives his brother’s 1969 GTO from Chicago to Knoxville, Tenn., she will have sex with him. Ian is joined on this trip by his best friends Lance (Duke), an unlikely ladies man, and Felicia (Crew), with whom Ian is secretly in love, while she has a crush on Lance but may secretly be in love with Ian. Upon this predictable framework co-writers John Morris and Sean Anders (who also directs) hang a series of gags that are often hilarious but more than likely to offend somebody. A highlight is Seth Green playing an Amish version of, well, Seth Green. Key scenes take place during the Amish festival of Rumspringa, which according to the filmmakers allows Amish teens to run wild and engage in all manners of debauchery before committing to a chaste life. The DVD includes two versions of the movie, with an informative commentary attached to the ‘R’-rated theatrical cut. The flip side includes a special ‘fans only’ edition, which adds nearly 20 minutes of footage loaded with gratuitous nudity (both male and female), filthy language and rapid-fire outtakes. A bonus disc includes three short featurettes, including an exclusive performance by Fall Out Boy, who put in a cameo during the Amish party. – John Latchem I 2012: SCIENCE OR SUPERSTITION Street 1/27 Disinformation, Documentary, $19.95 DVD, NR. ne of the fun tenets of fiction is the application of ancient insights to modern-day problems. Prophecies of apocalypse provide the basis for the upcoming film 2012, which derives its premise from the fact that the Mayan calendar ends on Dec. 21, 2012. Whether these ancient cultures may have been onto something is the subject of 2012: Science or Superstition. The documentary drifts through various interviews from astronomers and researchers to shed some light on the Mayan methodology, motive and mentality. The crux of the Mayan system was the observation of cyclical star movements they equated to ages of mankind. But did the 2012 end O date refer to an apocalyptic event, or the dawning of an age of rebirth? The so-called experts describe a series of scenarios that are bound to amuse some and scare the crap out of others. More relevant is the discussion of natural occurrences that could affect us in 2012. A lengthy segment is devoted to solar activity and radiation storms that could disrupt satellites and cause a hiccup to human civilization. Another discussion involves the shifting of Earth’s magnetic poles, which would have a similar effect. It’s all an exercise in speculation, but it’s an entertaining diversion for enthusiasts. The overarching consensus is that if any of this means anything, it’s that we have to do a better job being mindful of forces greater than us. Extras on the DVD include bonus interviews and an interesting video tour of the Mayan temples of Palenque. – John Latchem I GABRIEL & ME Street 1/27 BFS, Drama, $24.98 DVD, NR. Stars Iain Glen, David Bradley, Sean Landless, Rosie Rowell, Billy Connolly. immy, a lonely boy living in a working-class suburb in northern England with his parents and grandfather, decides that he can save his cancer-stricken dad if only he can become an angel. Enter Billy Connolly as the archangel Gabriel, who periodically appears to Jimmy to give the boy an update on his progress toward divinity. Gabriel & Me is a film on a highwire. On one side is a tale steeped in magical realism: Gabriel has come to Earth to assist a boy in need and, in turn, the boy learns that there is magic in small, everyday acts of J kindness. On the other side is a family drama about a dying parent and the ways in which a child comes to terms with that terrible fact. Although there are several lovely moments when the film is well balanced between those worlds, it also, as often as not, totters over to one side or the other. Several of the film’s actors do a great deal with what they are given. Iain Glen, especially, as Jimmy’s harshly judgmental father, finds humanity and, ultimately, redemption, in what might have been a one-dimensional character. And David Bradley is wonderful as the grandfather who serves as a calming buffer between a father and son who don’t really understand each other. Sean Landless delivers a remarkable performance as Jimmy, a boy whose flashes of insight are clouded by his youth, anger and despair. Gabriel & Me is an interesting, if not always successful, drama about a family coping with conflict and loss that is worth a look, especially for viewers who enjoyed Billy Elliot, an earlier work from screenwriter Lee Hall. – Anne Sherber 14 Home Media Magazine January 19–25, 2009
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Contents News News News News Commentary Reviews Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Commentary (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Commentary (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 24)
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